How House GOP leader Impresses Trump

At a White House meeting on immigration last week, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) asked Donald Trump if he’d support a “clean” bill on DACA now, extending protections to Dreamers, with a commitment to then begin negotiations on comprehensive immigration reform. The president agreed. It was House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) who quickly interjected, reminding the president of what the Republican position is supposed to be.

Did Trump mind or see McCarthy’s comments as somehow insolent? No, because the president and the House majority leader apparently have a budding friendship.

The Washington Post had an interesting piece yesterday on the relationship, including an anecdote about the California congressman discovering that Trump likes Starbursts candies, paying careful attention to pluck out the cherry and strawberry flavors.

“We’re there, having a little dessert, and he offers me some,” McCarthy recalled in an interview. “Just the red and the pink. A bit later, a couple of his aides saw me with those colors and told me, ‘Those are the president’s favorites.’ ”

Days later, the No. 2 Republican in the House – known for his relentless cultivation of political alliances – bought a plentiful supply of Starbursts and asked a staffer to sort through the pile, placing only those two flavors in a jar. McCarthy made sure his name was on the side of the gift, which was delivered to a grinning Trump, according to a White House official.

The same article added that the House majority leader delivered a presentation to Trump on the party’s expectations ahead of the midterm elections, which the president appreciated because of McCarthy’s “use of pictures and charts rather than a memo.”

Or put another way, one of Congress’ top ranking officials has discovered how best to “manage” his party’s president: give him candy and show him pretty pictures.